ION: What Comes Next
by Kuro Rakka Shimo
Summary: Simon's found himself outside with some heavy thoughts. Ever since their romp, there have been thoughts nagging at the back of his mind, telling him something wasn't quite right. Lucky for him, he isn't in it alone.


Just another Monday morning at the Seville house. Simon was outside, sitting up on a branch in their tree in the backyard. It'd been three weeks since their little get together, and… he didn't know what to think of it.

How could he? For so long it was like… everyone had something to hide. Everyone had some air of mystery to them, things for him to slowly discover. But that was blown out the moment Alvin made his proposition. And what'd become of that? Some oddly stacked polygamous relationship.

What used to be off limits was now free game. What he could say, what he could do, what the others could say and what they would do, it was all happening so fast. Not to mention the girls being pregnant of all things! Why couldn't he have thought through this more? They've never raised any kids! Hell, they were practically still kids themselves on the matter!

Simon sighed, slumping back against the tree trunk as he removed his glasses, tugging his ears downwards as he closed his eyes tight. At times like this, he felt that he should have never gone along with Alvin's idea. To not make those damn condoms in the first place. He should have been more adamant about everyone sticking to what was already working.

How much did he really know about Brittany? About Eleanor? How much did they know about him? How much of all of this just… leftovers from the girls' heat? He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

Much worse is that he felt like he didn't even know Jeanette like he used to. Sex was supposed to bring them together, and yet he felt like he was forcing a smile sometimes after it was all said and done. When the heat went away, it was like everything was back to how it was before. But was it? He still felt shy about it all, he couldn't bring himself to even get in the mood as much. He almost did when he slept with Brittany, but that just turned into him hugging her as she slept.

Simon's toes curled against the branch, hooking in and scoring it a little. Jeanette… Seeing her walking around with such a rounded stomach. Part of him was proud, happy even, maybe excited. But the other was nothing but doubt and regret. How could he put her through this? He didn't ask her how she felt about it all! It was her who had to go ahead and convince him! And what does he do when they're finally alone? He thinks of _him. _The part of him that only existed because a spider poisoned him for a while. Who DOES that? Jeanette liked him more in sound mind rather than some... some toxin induced flirtatious alter ego, didn't she?

He winced, eyes flying open as a sharp pain surged through his ears. Damn it, his claws had dug in. He could feel the blood beginning to come up to the surface. Simon shook his head, walking over the the branch's edge. He felt it bend slightly under him, but nothing more than that. What was he supposed to do…? He impregnated the girl of his dreams. She said she loved him as much as he did her. Why didn't it feel… complete?

Was it the heat? Was in how it all happened? He was the smart one, and yet he couldn't find an answer.

Simon sat at the edge, his tail drooping as he looked out on the grass. It'd been three weeks… In a week's time, the girls could go into labor at any moment. And he didn't know what to do. He cursed at himself for not knowing. He can create effective contraceptives, he can go with Alvin's idea and plow his girlfriend's _sisters. _But he couldn't figure this out?

He let out another heavy sigh, his train of thought changing once more. Everyone else seemed pretty happy about how things turned out. Brittany and Eleanor certainly didn't complain when they were beneath him. His brothers didn't hold any anger to him for mating with them. Jeanette didn't think any less that he had put two other girls before her. It didn't make sense… but it was natural, wasn't it? Just them doing as their species would. And now there were pups on the way. Lord knows how many each of the girls were carrying.

Simon got lost in his mind. So much, he didn't even hear the grass below rustling. Not that he would have paid it any mind anyway. When he heard claws on wood, however, accompanied with little grunts, he had to tear himself away to see. "What the… Eleanor? What're you doing out here?" He asked, spotting the rotund Chipette slowly scaling the tree. She'd gotten so rounded over time it was a shock she could walk. And yet here she was, huffing and puffing as she hauled herself up a tree.

"Oh. H-Hey Simon! Mind giving the pregnant lady a hand here?" Eleanor called, grunting as she hefted herself up again.

Quickly, Simon scampered to the trunk again, running down it carefully until he was beneath Eleanor, nudging his head against her butt as he tried to guide her to a lower branch. Eleanor wasn't budging though.

"Easy there tiger. I get you were back there before, but c'mon." She joked, giving her tail a little wag. "I'm going up higher. I need a good view. Sorta like what you have right now~"

Simon sighed, shaking his head. "As you wish, Eleanor. Let's go."

It took longer than he wanted, but Simon managed to help Eleanor up the tree trunk. At least to one of the branches that were beneath the one he had perched on not too long ago. With a heavy grunt, Eleanor sat down on the branch, rubbing on her belly. "Oh gosh, you would not believe Theodore." She started, looking over at Simon as he sat down as well, his brow furrowed. "Something bad?"

Eleanor shook her head then, smiling. "All good news. Sorta. I didn't think he'd end up being so… protective, ya know? I love the guy, but I just needed a little room to breathe." Eleanor said as she let her paws rest on top of her stomach. "And I think these little guys did too… Hehe. I always wondered what kind of mom I'd be."

"You and me both." Simon said with a roll of his eyes. "N-Not the mom part! Just, you know, parenthood and all that."

"Is that why you've been out here all day?" Eleanor asked. "Jeanette's been trying to find out where you are. I told her she ought to check out here, but she's insisting on staying inside." She made herself sit up straight. "And I guess you've got a lot on your plate…"

"What makes you think that?"

"Si… your ears are bleeding a little. And it looks like claw marks." Eleanor responded, a hint of worry on her voice. "Do you need to, ya know… vent a little? It might be able to help."

"You're a lot more observant than you let on. I guess I made it obvious." Simon responded with a little smile on his face. "How has your pregnancy been? Anything feeling off?"

"Ah ah ah, mister fussy claws. I asked you first." Eleanor gave him a playful little punch on the arm. "Now talk. Mama Ellie's listening." She insisted, flashing her own little smile right back.

Simon sighed once more. "Well… I guess the openness is one benefit of our situation. Okay…"

* * *

"...and, well, I guess I'm just… really, really confused about it all." Simon finished.

He told her everything. Everything that'd been building up in his head was out in the open now. As much as he wanted to hide little details, Eleanor's soft stare was keeping him in reality. Even if he had managed to keep quiet about some things, she'd get him to blabber about it anyway.

He looked over at her as he finished talking. "Silly… isn't it?"

"Jeez… and I thought this was hitting Alvin hard." Eleanor said, reaching over to grab Simon's paw. "I get it. You feel like everyone but you is okay with how everything's turned out. But… While you're right, I gotta say you're wrong too."

Simon raised an eyebrow. "I mean, c'mon!" Eleanor continued, "I get it. Before that night, we were all acting like people. But we aren't humans. We're chipmunks. We do things differently."

"I know that… I think I just got comfortable with it." Simon admits with a huff. "A bit of me kinda wants things to go back to the way things were, is all… We'd have concerts, we'd hang out afterwards, record deals and parties… I got used to it all. Even if I didn't participate as much as anyone else, it was still nice to just… be there."

Eleanor squeezed down on his paw then. "Well Si, I dunno what to say. We can't reverse time, and look at me! I look like someone put a balloon in my stomach or something!" She joked. "I miss all of that too, but… I think this is gonna be a whole lot better. We'll all have our little ones to watch over, and everyone's gonna be able to help each other. That's what the relationship is about, isn't it? It's like we're all friends with really good benefits. Except we're a lot closer than that."

Simon didn't respond. Eleanor scooted closer to him, her tail wrapping around his. "Hey. You're my mate too. That's what we all put our names on that paper for. You're gonna be a great dad, Simon. You know _everything, _you've always got a way to fix things, and heck, you're helpful as all get out. You've got a big heart in there as well as a big brain. That's why Jean's all gaga crazy about you." She spoke, giving him a little nudge. "Everything's gonna be alright, you hear? Just give it a chance."

"...You know, I'm starting to wonder who's the real smart one." Simon replied, a genuine smile on his face now. "Maybe I don't have the answer to everything. But if you guys are around to help… maybe I don't need to. I'll just… I'll do my best."

"Much better." Eleanor leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "And, if you don't mind… I kinda have a big favor to ask you." She said, her voice getting quieter as she peeked down. "It's kinda embarrassing…"

Simon followed her gaze, a blush coming along his cheeks. "O-Oh! Well, uh, a little discharge is normal! All you gotta do is-"

"Ew! Not that, you goof, jeez!" Eleanor squeaked, giving him a weak one-armed shove. "I meant I need help to get down! I uh… didn't think this through all the way."

"Oh… Eheh, right. Let's get you down now."

It was a process, what with Eleanor wanting to go as fast as she could, and Simon insisting she crawl to lower branches, but the two of them found a good compromise eventually. Eleanor would head down first, going at a slower pace, and Simon would follow. Though he had to keep himself almost pressed against her. With her tail in his mouth in case she slipped.

Luckily, that didn't get to happen. But Eleanor certainly taunted him about it, keeping the lower half of her tail lifted out the way so she'd be exposed to Simon. And he had to watch the whole way down the tree. Every time he brought it up, she just hummed, paused in place, gave herself a wiggle, and then continued.

Once they reached the ground, Eleanor let out a puff of breath, cradling her stomach again. "Ooo boy, that is NOT the nest for me." She said, sitting down in the grass with a sigh. "Hehe… Hey Si, I still remember our time out here fondly~ Maybe some time we'll get to recreate it, huh?" She teased.

Simon blushed, scratching at the back of his head as he looked to the side. "I-I guess so. I certainly wouldn't turn down the offer." He admitted, his tail twitching about as he made himself look at her. "Hey, uh… Thanks Ellie. Really."

"Aww, Si… If you ever need to talk, just say so. I don't mind letting you vent or whatever. Or if you wanna bang, though I doubt we'd get much done there." She spoke, prodding her stomach once. "I'm just gonna stay out here for a bit. Theo's gonna find me eventually, and I wanna see his face when he does~"

Simon smiled a little. "And I'm going to find Jeanette. I think I've been out long enough." He says, turning to walk towards their home's back entrance.

"Ah! Simon, if you see Theodore give him a hint! He's not the best finder!" Eleanor called, watching as Simon nodded, got down on all fours, and made a run for the back door. She let out a little sigh, holding on to her stomach as she felt a little kick.

"Hey, hey, go easy in there… You'll be out soon enough." She cooed softly, laying out on her back as she closed her eyes, just basking in the afternoon sun.

Theo would be out soon enough anyway.

* * *

_**A/N**_

_**It's been... too long since I last did one of these. A shame, really. But, I have a couple thoughts, and I'm gonna try to make them come on out. What do ya think?**_

_**KRS, Out!**_


End file.
